


tomorrow will be kinder

by seemeeimbeebee



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Canon Compliant, F/M, Family Feels, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury Recovery, Minor Character Death, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28614753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seemeeimbeebee/pseuds/seemeeimbeebee
Summary: Bill Sikes was an abominable bastard. Killian had known this from his previous dealings with the man, but apparently revenge was a dish indeed best served cold. Little does he know just how dangerous a man with everything to lose can be.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	tomorrow will be kinder

**Author's Note:**

> I'd drummed this up based on a whump prompt I saw where the whumpee gets hurt, goes home to the carer and it turns out the person who hurt whumpee also hurt their carer. And I figured Bill Sikes was a really good villain to enact revenge on Killian for slights imagined or otherwise. 
> 
> Besides: any man who comes after Killian Jones's family is an absolute fool.
> 
> Thanks to lonelyspectator/jkrfan7 and catastropheann for looking this over for me!

Bill Sikes was an abominable bastard. Killian had known this from his previous dealings with the man, but apparently revenge was a dish indeed best served cold.

Killian had ratted out the man to a local police force when he discovered the man was threatening children--after all, a man as dastardly as Captain Hook had some morals and believed in good form--and Bill Sikes had sworn his revenge on Killian, that he would do anything it took to make sure Killian would suffer.

And by god, had Bill Sikes gotten his revenge in spades. Even if it was over one hundred years later.

By Killian's count, it had been five days since he'd been called to a late night brawl at the Rabbit Hole. And he'd quickly squashed the quarrel and had a drink at the bar before heading home. One rum surely wasn't going to hurt him?

He'd felt woozy almost immediately after having the drink, and he knew something was immediately amiss. He tried to stumble out, to get himself to a place of safety, but he'd only made it just out the door before he collapsed. He'd had the faintest memory of trying to call Emma but his hand wasn't working properly.

He'd pleaded with his phone--slurring his words--to call Emma, to tell her he was in trouble, to tell her something wasn't right, but the darkness had consumed him and when he'd awoken, he'd woken in the clutches of Bill Sikes.

He'd hoped after his encounters with Hades; he'd hoped he was done with the feeling of dirt and blood caked onto his face but, alas, Bill Sikes had other plans.

Cataloguing his injuries quickly, he assessed there was a deep cut on his temple that had spilt over and Sikes deliberately kept on reopening. He'd definitely broken another rib as he'd recognized the pain from when he'd been his with Greg's car. His left arm was broken, which made things more difficult but not impossible. He'd spent the last few hours slowly unworking the knot with his right hand.

Sikes was out, and while Killian wasn't sure what he needed out there, he didn't want to find out what Sikes had planned for him.

Besides...it had been five days, and his wife had not come for him. Sikes said he'd heard of the Savior's magic and he'd gotten his hands on something special so he would be untraceable, but every instinct of his screamed that he needed to get home now and be with his wife again.

With a groan, he staggered to his feet when his ropes came free. He wished he'd had his hook, but Sikes had been sure to take it and then use it on him the first night he'd been here. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths to try and stop his head from spinning before he made his way out of the damp and dreary basement.

Killian's only thought was making it home to Emma and Hope. He'd never missed a day of his Cygnet's life before this, and he wasn't about to miss any more. He knew she'd be absolutely terrified, not knowing here he was. And Killian knew he was in a gruesome state, but he knew that Emma would take care of him just as he always had.

Groaning yet again, he lurched out of the shed he'd been kept in, limping determinedly. He couldn't remember when Sikes had damaged his foot, but it hardly mattered now. He'd crawl home into Emma and Hope if he absolutely had to. He wasn't going to get to let that bastard Sikes get the better of him.

Emma would sort him out, and then he'd absolutely remind Sikes why Captain Hook was not a man to be trifled with. He was even sure that Emma would want to join him, her green eyes filled with a fire he'd missed terribly. If Bill Sikes was dangerous, he and Emma were lethal by far. She was enough to be trifled with when they argued, or she was annoyed with him.

If she was downright furious?

And hopefully Emma wouldn't turn her ire on him for getting taken. She'd probably be more relieved than anything, he was sure, but he knew how deep her fears ran after his retrieval from the Underworld. At any rate, he figured she wouldn't mind getting him a new talking phone, given his was seemingly lost in the struggle. And hopefully, she'd help him find his hook. He'd hardly be Captain Hook without it. Besides, what was he going to gully Sikes with if not his hook?

It made him realize that he'd need a new safety guard for his hook for Hope with his hook gone. He could clearly picture Emma's crystal-clear laugh when he'd come home with the pink stopper attached to the end of his hook. When he asked why she'd laughed, she'd just kissed him with that tender smile on her face.

His wife and his daughter were the only thing that kept him moving, the only thing that drove his step. Hope's little giggles and her curious declarations about the world. The light of Emma's eyes when she was contented. Emma and Hope curled up in his arms after a long day. The shade of Emma's hair during the first thing in the morning, just when the sun began to peek into through the curtains of their bedroom...

It felt like hours, but when he finally came upon the white picket fence, he was determined to get inside and see the loves of his life. "Emma?" he called, trying to give his voice some strength. "Hope?"

Just knowing he was home made the pain temporarily disappear as he weakly pushed open the gate. "Emma?" he called again for her. "Hope? My loves?"

He didn't see the bug in the driveway but knowing Emma she was most likely at her parents', pulling a strategy together to try and find him. That was all right, he knew the spare key was in the stone by the bottom stair. Bending over was murder, but he knew that Emma would poof home from her parents the moment he called.

 _Just get to the house phone_ , his mind encouraged him. _Just get to Emma and you can rest..._

The door seemed to give in without much protestation, and Killian almost thought that even his home seemed to recognize that he needed to be inside with his True Loves.

Or at least that's what he thought until the door opened.

Glass was strewn across the living room floor, clear evidence of a fight. Chairs knocked over, things torn off the walls, and splintered wood seemed to go as far as the eye could see.

And then...by the shattered remains of the coffee table, he saw a wisp of blond hair and a limp hand.

"Emma!" he roared, now all but sprinting to Emma's side and falling to his knees beside her. She was covered in scratches and bruises, and for a moment she seemed so still that Killian's heart seemed to tumble right out of his chest. 

"Emma?" he croaked out weakly, gathering her into his arms. His fingers went to her neck and found her pulse. His entire body sagged with relief as he buried his face against her hair for a moment.

"Kil...lian?" Her weak whisper barely reached his ears. "'m..."

"Shhh, shhh," Killian soothed weakly. "I'm here, love. It's gonna be all right." His thumb gently brushed across her battered cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut with a weak moan of pain. "I've got you, love. I'm going to get you help. But first...where's Hope?"

"With 'nry," she mumbled. Killian sighed with relief, knowing that Hope had not been home to witness this catastrophe. His children were at least together and safe for now. It would give him a moment to focus on his wife and help her.

"Seven fresh hells, love..." Killian whispered as he took in her injuries worriedly. Her head rolled back to rest weakly against his stomach. Her beautiful features were twisted up in pain and he tried to soothe her by cradling her close.

"Y'real?" she asked, seemingly taking all of her strength to spit out the few words she could. Looking down at her, she was still absolutely beautiful. But also, his heart clenched at every new bruise, every deep scratch, and he felt the way her breathing seemed a little bit labored.

He could get the phone in just a moment...she needed to know he was alive and home.

"Aye, I'm real," he promised, kissing her head. "Everything hurts, but I'm home now...I know it's been a few days, but I swear to you I won't leave again, love."

"Gotta stop meeting like this," Emma rasped, nuzzling up against his stomach. He winced, his ribs protesting at the action.

"Sorry, love," he rasped, trying to soothe her frown away. "I've just...someone had the handsome knocked right out of me again."

"Not...that...powerful..." Emma wheezed, before she seemed to sag in his arms.

"Emma?" he asked desperately. "Emma?" His voice got a little bit louder.

"You thought I didn't know about your precious Emma?" Sikes sneered, stepping across the threshold of their house. Killian didn’t need to see him to feel the man’s menacing aura. "Oh, I knew all about her, and I knew just how to find her...if only I'd gotten the chance to get my hands on your little daughter, Hope, too."

Something in Killian snapped. Sikes was behind him and couldn't see the look of fury and rage that had passed Killian's countenance. Gingerly, he laid Emma on the floor with all the love and tenderness in him, determined to leave such feelings behind with the one who held his heart.

And then, Killian stood very slowly. His shoulders were tight with barely concealed rage, and a dark and dangerous glint entered his eyes.

Captain Hook had come into the room, leaving Killian behind.

“You know, it’s true. You’ve gone soft, Hook,” Sikes said lowly but gleefully. “Having a family made you weak. The old Hook wouldn’t have taken this long to escape.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, mate,” Killian growled, turning slowly on his heel to stare at Sikes. There was a cold fire in his eyes that was only parallel to his worst days as the Dark One and there was a part of him that was pleased to see Sikes recoil at the look on his face. “I’m not weaker because I went and had a family.” His voice softened, “I’m much more dangerous now than I ever was.”

“With no hook, some broken ribs, and a drinking problem?” Sikes sneered. “You’re all bark now, mate.”

“Unfortunately for you,” Killian replied, disdain and fury keeping his voice level. “That’s where you’re wrong.” In one swift move, Killian picked up a shard of glass that was on the floor and stabbed it into Sikes’s stomach.  
  
Sikes collapsed to the ground with a horrified gasp and Killian stood over him, his jaw clenching. “Now,” he said, looking down at the man. “What to do with you?” He put a foot over Sikes’s throat, the pain in his ankle seemed all but gone for now. “You’ll answer me one question: did you do this alone or did someone put you up to this?”

Sikes didn’t answer right away and Killian dug his foot in more firm. “Y’wouldn’t…not with the lady there…” Sikes rasped.

“You hurt my wife,” Killian snarled lowly. “And if she were awake…maybe. Maybe I would’ve spared you.” He glared coldly down at Sikes, writhing beneath him. “But the longer I deal with you, the longer it keeps her from getting help so it’s in my best interest to dispatch of you quickly.”

“No—” Sikes gasped.

“That’s two near fatal miscalculations you’ve made there, Bill. If anyone’s gone soft, it’s you… _mate_.” 

“Mercy,” Sikes wheezed.

“Answer the damned question,” Killian snarled. “And I’ll give you the mercy of a quick death.”

“Alone,” Sikes gargled out.

Killian withdrew the shard of glass from Sikes’s stomach and slashed it across the man’s throat. There was a moment where he would’ve preferred to watch Sikes bleed, but Emma’s pained whimper brought him back. He stumbled over to the phone and dialed the sheriff’s station.

“Emma, did you—” Killian’s shoulders sagged with relief hearing his father in law’s voice.

“’s me, mate,” Killian rasped. With all the adrenaline starting to wear off, he felt lightheaded. “Sikes, got Emma…she needs a doctor…” His breath seemed to shorten quickly. “Please, Dave…” he begged. His only thoughts were of Emma, trying to get her safe, trying to get her taken care of…

It was all his fault that she’d been hurt anyway, and it tore him up inside.

“Where are you?” David demanded.

Killian opened his mouth to try and answer but his mouth suddenly felt stuffed and his head spun again. With the last of his strength, he crawled over to Emma and curled around her protectively.

Her green eyes flickered open again hazily. “Killian?”

Knowing she was still alive gave him the comfort and security to let unconsciousness take him.

\--

He recognized the chipped ceiling tile from his first hospital stay. That was the first thing that registered before all the pain kicked in and he let out the lowest of groans.

A quick and delicate hand cupped his cheek and at first, he flinched reflexively, before recognizing his wife’s tender touch. “Hey, beautiful,” he whispered, leaning into her touch. Despite all of his hurt, he looked over at his wife to try and see how she faired.

Unlike the last time they had done this, she was injured too. Her bruises had yellowed, the stitches were clear on some of her deeper injuries, and her other hand was cast. Her green eyes were shining with unshed tears, which he assumed were from pain. “Christ, Emma…” he said lowly. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? I’m just happy you’re alive,” Emma asked tearfully, leaning over to kiss him gently. They both winced when their lips met but it didn’t stop them. “You were gone for five days…and then…” His hand gently squeezed hers and let his thumb brush against her knuckles.

“What happened, love?” he rasped.

“I…I had literally just dropped Hope off with Henry,” Emma said. “She was so devastated that you hadn’t come home. Henry offered to take her so he could distract her.”

“Where’s she now?” Killian asked weakly, sitting up as if his daughter was just outside.

“Still with Henry,” Emma said quietly, moving a little bit closer to him to easy the motion. “Dad said that when he found us that we were in such a bad way that he didn’t want her to see us. And I got a good look at myself in the mirror before. I feel like she shouldn’t see me until I look a little bit more human and a little less like Frankenstein’s monster.”

“Still beautiful to me, Swan,” Killian promised softly, kissing her hand and she let out a wet laugh.

“Well, if you’ve still got the strength to hit on me after five days of being tortured then I guess you’re okay…” she sniffled. 

“Aye,” he murmured, drawing her as close as he could with the hospital bed rail separating them. “It’ll take much more than that to keep me from seeing how beautiful you are. A man would have to be blind not to see that, love.”

“I missed you so much,” Emma whispered, cupping his face again and gently swiping his cheek with her thumb. “And I was so worried…I couldn’t find you, no matter what I did. No magic or anything I did…it wouldn’t work and I just kept trying and trying…”

“Guessing you didn’t sleep much,” Killian murmured worriedly, taking in the dark circles under her eyes.

She shook her head, closing her eyes. “That’s how he got me. I…I was standing in the kitchen and I had my eyes closed for just a second and he snuck up behind me. When I tried to break free, I fell into the coffee table.” Emma squeezed his hand, taking in a few shaky breaths. “And when I finally came to…you were home.”

“It seems he let me go just to find you,” Killian told her quietly. “Apparently he was after Hope too…and I thank the stars she was with her brother.”

Emma’s eyes flew open, and he was fully unsurprised to find the fire burning there. For all her aches and pains, he could see how absolutely ferocious she could be. Nothing came between Emma and her family, and the fact that Sikes had already hurt the two of them was enough to put the man on Emma’s list, had he not already been dead.

“Where is he now?” she snarled.

“Dead,” Killian replied, watching her face. “I killed him.” He knew that he had these darker parts that had mostly laid dormant since she’d come into his life, but every so often he worried that he would take one step too far.

Her shoulders slumped and a peaceful look crossed her face. “Good,” she murmured. “I don’t know if I would’ve been able to sleep knowing he could still come back and get you or Hope.” Then she looked down at him curiously. “Actually, maybe I said good too soon,” she said softly. “How are you feeling about it?”

Killian shrugged, though he wished more than anything he could hold his wife in his arms just to remind himself that she was safe. “If you’d been awake, I probably wouldn’t have done it,” he admitted quietly. “But when he laid his hands on you and threatened Hope, I lost it…”

“You were trying to protect your family from the man who’d hurt you,” Emma replied, shifting her chair closer to run her fingers through his hair. “And I’d never hold that against you.” She sighed wetly and very gingerly put her head on his shoulder. “I’m just so happy you’re home with me now…”

“I didn’t mean to worry you, love,” Killian whispered, kissing the top of her head.

“Can I do anything for you?” Emma asked, turning her head to look up at him.

“Just stay right here with me for a moment,” he answered. “I spent all five days thinking of you and Hope and just how badly I wanted to get home. And to finally make it home and see you hurt…” It was his turn to get choked up as he buried his face against her hair. “Gods, love…I thought I lost you. I thought I was too late.”

“I’m right here,” Emma promised softly, nosing his cheek. “I’m here…” She curled into him. “A little bruised and battered but still here. It’s been a while since I’ve been roughed up this badly.” She laced their fingers together as best she could. She was quiet for a moment. “There was a skip when I was first starting out as a bail bondsperson…I’d never felt that helpless before.” She smiled bitterly. “And there’s only been a couple of times since where I felt that helpless.”

“I can only imagine,” Killian murmured against her temple. “Coming home to see you unconscious on the floor…it only evoked the sheerest sense of helplessness in me. And if Sikes hadn’t have shown up sooner, it would’ve easily caved to desperation…but I didn’t even give it that much room. I acted purely on instinct.”

Looking back at all of the things he could’ve done differently in opposition to what he had done, Killian felt himself get angrier and angrier at himself. He shouldn’t have needed to kill Sikes. But that had been his first instinct and he had just went with it. Was he still, after all this time, completely irredeemable?

“Hey,” his wife goaded gently. “Look at me.”

Emma very gently brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it. No words passed between them as they settled into one another. Emma didn’t need to speak for Killian to know exactly what his wife needed. Likewise, he didn’t need to say anything for Emma to know that all he needed from her was for her to stay right there so he could say with certainty that she was all right.

But they could only stand Emma being in the hospital chair for a few moments before Emma very gingerly climbed into Killian’s hospital bed to curl up beside him. The minute she was situated, her body flush against his, they both sighed with relief.

“Much better,” Emma mumbled contently. “Does that hurt at all?”

“No, this is perfect,” he whispered, kissing her head softly.

“I think we’re getting too old for this, pirate,” she teased into his skin.

“Speak for yourself, I am as youthful as ever,” he retorted, grinning from ear to ear. He finally let himself relax as he held his wife in his arms. He’d nearly drifted off to sleep, when the door squeaked hope and he tensed, wondering if it was another attack, and perhaps Sikes hadn’t died after all. 

“Mom! Killian!” Henry’s voice carried across the room. Killian looked up and gave his son a tired smile, and he was sure Emma’s smile matched his.

“Hey, kid,” Emma murmured affectionately. Henry rushed to her side and very gingerly kissed her forehead. “We’re okay…how’s your sister? How are you?”

“I’m fine, Hope’s fine, she’s back with Ella and Lucy…” Henry replied, his hazel eyes looking at them desperately. “How are you?”

“Alive and well, lad,” Killian told his son with a tired sigh. “Just a little bruised.”

“Yeah, well it was a lot more than a little bruised, the way Grandpa and I saw it,” Henry told them sourly. Emma sat up and pulled her son into her arms, even though it pained her to do so. “I was really worried about you both.”

Guilt swarmed within him. It was already had enough that Emma had been beaten and hurt, but to know that Henry had witnessed the effects of Killian’s past on their family…he felt the old stirrings of unworthiness rise up again within him. For a moment, he was lost to his self-loathing, silently admonishing himself for letting them get hurt because of his mistakes.

“I’m so sorry you had to see that, Henry,” Emma murmured, cupping the back of his head even though he was a fully grown adult. She gently stroked the back of his head. “I can’t imagine how awful that must’ve been for you.” She kissed the top of his head. “Killian and I are okay. Everything is okay.”

“Aye, and I’m sorry that it happened and you both got caught in the crossfire,” Killian sighed, looking away. He wasn’t sure she could stand the look on his son’s face. “I always figured one day my past would catch up with me…I just never imagined that…”

“I know you’re not blaming yourself for getting tortured,” Henry said indignantly, pulling himself out of his mother’s arms. He looked so much like Emma in that moment that Killian couldn’t help but let out an affectionate laugh through his nose. “What?”

“Your mother more or less said the same thing,” Killian said warmly. “I’ve gotten this lecture before and lovingly scolded already.”

“So, then you should already know that we don’t blame you,” Henry said stubbornly.

“I know you don’t,” Killian agreed. “I just…” He sighed, lowering his head.

Emma shifted gently toward him and pressed her forehead to his, her injured hand coming above his heart. She gave him a little smile and tilted her head up at him, and he gently pressed his forehead to hers, nudging their noses together.

“You still have a mark in the hero column, babe,” she promised him softly. “I know you feel guilty about what happened because you love us so much. I know you feel responsible for the actions you took in the past and what you did to stop Sikes from hurting us further.”

“We don’t love you any less, Killian,” Henry added firmly. “I…maybe there was another way, and he could’ve been redeemed. But you had no way of knowing for sure and you didn’t want to bet our lives in case you were wrong.”

“It was still my first instinct—” Killian started, but immediately stopped when Emma held up her hand.

“Babe, you are over _three hundred years old_ ,” she said, sitting up straight so that she could glower down at him. “You have lived so many extraordinary different lives, but I’ll say that most of them were not pleasant. What do you always tell me? That you’re a survivor?” Her green eyes flared with passion and he fell in love with her just a little bit more for it.

“You and I both know that means you have to do some terrible things to keep yourself alive,” she continued. “And sometimes, it is just easier to fall back on that instinct rather than trying to think it through. Sometimes you don’t have time to add what you’ve learned to a situation. But that doesn’t mean you’re incapable of change or that you’re still a bad person, Killian.”

He let his wife’s words wash over him, and he granted himself the smallest of absolutions. “I can still give him a burial,” he murmured quietly. “It’s more than he deserves, but hopefully it’s recompense enough.”

“See?” Emma asked proudly. “There’s my pirate. A great man and a great husband.”

“And a great father,” Henry chimed in pointedly. He raised his eyebrows as if to say “trust me”.

“Point taken,” Killian murmured, his voice a little choked. He was absolutely overcome with love for his family. “Should we rest now? And Henry, can you bring Hope by later? This moment just doesn’t feel quite right without all of our family here.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Henry agreed. “Sleep, and then I’ll go get Hope?”

“Yeah,” Emma replied softly, closing her eyes. “I think we can all use a little rest.”


End file.
